Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Deadline Diva Indeed

Kathleen Y'Barbo, author, publicist, mentor, critique partner, and dear friend used the coolest phrase the other day. I'm not sure if she coined the the term or heard it somewhere, but I swooned at the glamorous image the words conjured.

"Deadline Diva." Sigh.

"That's me," I crowed, since I recently signed my first contract with my very own deadline tucked inside.

I had it all planned. My calendar chart pinned up (in my mind at least) with my minimum daily word count, my critique submission schedule, one day of the week set aside to edit, and another set aside to rest.

I'd have my masterpiece rolled off the assembly line and shipped to my editor with time left over to rest before whipping out book two in the series.

Well, guess what. Deadline Divas exist in the same world where life is fair and authors make loads of money.

Where reality lives a deadline means late nights, early mornings, a dirty house, neglected spouse, missed appointments, unwalked dogs, broken promises, unanswered phones, unanswered email, fast food, frozen dinners, visible roots in stringy hair, no social life, no fun, stiff joints and a dead behind.

Oh yeah. And ten extra pounds.

Okay, twenty.

Today I stared at my frightening reflection in the mirror and wondered who I was. Hardly my former idea of a Deadline Diva!

I leaned close and asked myself: "You really wanted this?"

Myself grinned back like a demented Cheshire cat and answered: "Honey, I was born to it."

Now that's a real Deadline Diva.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

You're a hoot, Marcia. And you're 100% accurate about all of this! Thanks for quoting Kathleen. She's the queen of the deadline, isn't she?!

Janelle said...

Deadline - when the next line in your story is no where to be found.

Deadline - when the person on the other end of the phone hangs up on you because you're making no sense.

Deadline - when you hang up on the person on the other end of the phone because they're making no sense.

Deadline - when you yank the phone from the wall so you'll no longer be interrupted.

Deadline - a line you cross at the risk of being shot.

Yep, gotta love that word. Great post, Marcia.

Marcia Gruver said...

Janelle, I love points two and three! Lived both of them this week, in fact. Haven't tried point three, but may consider it as March 1st gets closer.

Elizabeth Ludwig said...

(laughing) And yet...you made it. I knew you would. The story is great, Marcia. Can't wait to hold the finished product.

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